Almost Home [Halted]

| S I X |

Do you know how irritating it is when you unlock your phone and at the same time, someone calls or messages and it gets answered or read? And you're just there, staring at your phone, unsure what to feel; partially in shock, but mostly annoyed.

That just happened to me.

Scout happens to call at the same time as I slide the bar at the bottom of the screen. My eyes widen and I stare at my phone, unsure of whether I should talk back or simply just disconnect the call.

"Hello? Dee? Are you there?" I hear his voice through the speaker at the top of the phone. I push the volume button several times, thus, lowering the voluming.

"Dee, I know you're listening. Baby, why aren't you talking to me?" On hearing that, it felt like a string that shouldn't have been touched, got pulled, and so I raise the phone, place it against my ear and speak up, "Excuse me, what did you just say?"

"Thank God you finally thought of talking to me."

"You really have the guts to talk to me after all that happened?" I ask, containing the emotions inside me. I did not want to cry.

"Why're you acting so stuck up, Demetria?"

"I'm acting stuck up? I'M acting stuck up?! Do you even realise what you're saying, Scout?" My voice slightly cracks up, but I manage to not shed a single tear.

"Yes, Demetria, YOU'RE acting stuck up. I'm saying sorry, man, can we get over this already?"

I felt a part of me just shatter. This was not the Scout I fell in love with four years ago. This was not even the Scout I met almost six years ago and was really close to. I felt like I really never knew him. Whatever I saw till now, whoever I just spend six years of my life with, was just a fake.

"Scout, what's wrong with you? What has gotten into you? You were never this way.." My eyes burn and get cloudy, a tear rolls down my cheek and straight down my neck and chest.

"Listen, I've wanted to talk about us for quite long, but I never got the chance to. Or let's say, you never gave me the chance to. You were always busy being a perfect girlfriend, dreaming about the future and all that shit. We never actually worked out perfectly, Dee. I mean, it was fun and I did love you, but it got.. old, eventually."

"Scout–"

"No, let me finish." He pauses and sighs.

"Everything was great, Dee. I loved you, it was a great experience and every experience comes to an end, someday. Cia was there and understood more than you did. She wasn't so into commitments like you were. Things work out well between us for however long it is supposed to. I was waiting for the right time to tell you, because I knew that you wouldn't understand and would react in this manner."

"So you slept with my best friend under my nose? What a dick move, Scout." I was crying, but my voice sounded as stern as ever.

"Your best friend wanted what I wanted, and so we gave it to each other. Well, whatever. I didn't have to take the trouble of waiting to tell you and shit. Glad you saw it for yourself. So here it is, Demetria, we're over."

The silence got deafening but neither of us was ready to speak up.

"That was pretty easy for you, wasn't it?" I somewhat whisper.

"Easier than I thought, actually. Listen, no hard feelings, Dee. We can still be friends, I don't mind."

"You know what, Scout?" I let out a long sigh.

"Yeah?"

"Fuck you."

And with that, I disconnect the call. I fell on my knees, cupped my face between the palm of my hands and cried. I felt like a huge mess, like a mistake. I felt so horrible.

I turned my phone off and threw it on the bed.

I didn't go to work for 4 days. Constancia tried calling me for what seemed like a hundred times, but were just 30. I didn't answer any. If there was one reason that got me to switch my phone back on, it was Amber.

I told her about everything that had happened and that I didn't have the will in me to come back to work anymore. I tried shifting to another branch but my attempt failed repeatedly.

In the end, I planned on going to work for one last time, working the day off and resigning with the salary I get.

I got dressed and walked to work. I pulled my jacket on as it had gotten slightly chilly outside. On entering the cafe, I looked around.

The place I loved coming to, the place that earned me my living, the place that made me meet some amazing people like Amber, Charles and Cinthia; it was my last day in that same place.

And it was probably the last time I see my best friend too. The best friend I once had.